Huntington Grad Experiences Change of Plans
Niko Rechul thought it was all set. He would be returning next fall to Syracuse University to play football, this time as a graduate student and on a scholarship. After this past season’s head coach was fired, the athletic department reached out to the 2005 Huntington High School alum, told him he was wanted and offered him a financial package.
Rechul, who will graduate this May, has one more year of football eligibility. This year he was the Orangemen’s kickoff specialist and was hoping to add punting and placekicking duties for the 2009 season.
But, there was a huge turn of events in the past few weeks,” Rechul said. The new coach, Doug Marrone said he couldn’t allot a scholarship because he hadn’t seen Rechul kick and that while the Huntington grad was free to return to the team next fall, there would be no promise of a scholarship even if he won the kicking job again. Thus, he would have to pay out his own pocket for grad school while being a member of a program that dispenses 85 full scholarships.
While clearly disappointed, Rechul is the type of person that subscribes to the adage that “when life gives you lemons, make lemonade.” He’s naturally optimistic and always has a “Plan B” should it be required.
“Financially I can’t stay [at Syracuse] because I cannot take the risk of having to pay more money,” Rechul explained. “So I decided that I will be hiring an agent and trying out for the NFL. Currently I’m in the process of finding an agent and I have my sights on one. And my new coach is going to help me by talking to some NFL coaches and getting me in the door for some tryouts. At this point I feel pretty good about my kicking. I have kicked NFL balls for the past few weeks and it feels better than ever.”
Rechul was originally a member of the Syracuse soccer team, but jumped ship after gaining a spot on the football squad. He doesn’t have any illusions about just how hard it is to make it to the National Football League. “I feel like it may be a long shot just because there is a huge pool of kickers out there, but I also believe that it will be a great opportunity for me to get my name out there and possibly being picked up at some point,” he said.
The Huntington grad is making plans to fly sometime soon to Arizona for a weekend to work with renowned 13-year NFL special teams coach Gary Zauner. “He is known for getting about 50 percent of the NFL kickers their current jobs,” Rechul said.
The dramatic change of direction hasn’t left Rechul feeling blue. “It was an unfortunate turn of events, but that’s life sometimes,” he said. “I’m going to play my cards the way they come and I feel this is the best choice for me.”
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